The Promise
by WhoLockGal
Summary: "Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up, never give in." This was the Doctor's Promise. It's been several years since Bad Wolf Bay, and TenToo and Rose have established a life on Pete's World. But will the potential return of the Time Lords impact them?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did but, as they say, if wishes were kisses…_

Chapter 1

It had been 7 years, 3 months, 6 days, 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 52 - no, 53 - seconds since he was, for lack of a better word, born. When considering his existence in those terms, he felt that he looked quite old. Of course then there was the fact that in actuality he was closer to 910 years old. From that angle, he actually looked incredibly young for his age. Either way it didn't matter.

These were the thoughts that went through Doctor John Smith's mind as he got ready for work in the morning. He looked in the mirror, smirking slightly at the reflection staring back at him. It amazed him every day, the fact that he was aging. Small lines and creases had begun to appear on his face, around his eyes, at the corner of his mouth. He found that he genuinely needed his glasses in order to read whereas they had traditionally been more ornamental in the past. It wasn't that long ago that all of this would have been a nightmare for him - living a day to day life, perfectly ordinary. He never would have anticipated the joy that such mundane things as a home, a mortgage, bills, and people to answer to would bring.

He shook his head and ran his hands over his face before mussing up his hair. Reaching into the medicine chest, he pulled out his shaving kit. Just as he finished washing his face and rubbing in the moisturizing oil, he felt a tug on the leg of pyjamas. Looking down, he grinned.

"I need to shave too, daddy," a small girl stage whispered, her eyes wide as she smiled with her tongue peeking out from between her teeth.

"Right you are," he beamed, lifting her up and setting her on the vanity next to the sink. He nodded toward the tap and stifled a laugh as she nodded back once - all business - before wetting her hands and face to match his. Once she was ready, he lathered up the badger brush with shaving cream, first applying the cream to his own face and neck before turning to the child. "Your turn."

She giggled as he brushed the foam gently on her cheeks and chin, ending with a final dot on her nose. "Not there!"

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, silly!"

"Well, if you say so." He shrugged nonchalantly, handing her a spare (bladeless) razor as he grabbed his own from the kit. She turned her body to face the mirror and, side by side, father and daughter commenced their morning shave.

**A/N: Just a quick preview of a little something I'm working on… More to come, but possibly not for a few days.**

**As in the past, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

Chapter 2

The first few months back on Pete's World were tough on Rose. Not only had she resented the Doctor's decision to abandon her with no hope of ever reuniting, but she felt that he had taken for granted her kind heart and the lengths that she had gone to to help him heal in the first place. Gradually though she began feeling more like herself and the gaping, Doctor-shaped hole in her heart started to heal. Of course, much of that had to do with the handsome Doctor-shaped man that was now entering the room.

"Be honest," the man himself began. "Do you think I've put on weight? I can't seem to get my jacket on this morning."

Rose smiled at the sound of their daughter's giggle that came from behind his back. "Hmm, well let's have a look. Give us a spin." As he complied, and his back was to her she stepped forward and lifted the girl off of his back. "Here's the problem... You had a little monkey on your back, but I've got her now!"

"That is a relief," he replied, pulling his jacket on. "Think we should call the zoo?"

The girl laughed and squirmed in Rose's arms, forcing her mother to set her down. She ran back to her father and hugged his legs. "Daddy, no! It's me!"

He winked quickly at Rose and then looked down at the girl, feigning shock. "Adelyn? Oh, thank goodness! But wait, I have to ask..." He knelt down so he was eye level with her. "Perhaps you're not a monkey, but you do still like bananas, yes?"

"Okay, that's enough," Rose trilled, scooping up the child and setting her down at the table. "Breakfast and then school. Don't want to be late."

"Yes, mummy," father and daughter replied together.

Rose shook her head, turning to hide her grin. "Cheeky," she muttered as she made herself a coffee.

"I know I shouldn't say it, but I really hate all of those stuck-up cows at Addy's school," Rose said as they pulled away from the morning drop-off.

John shook his head in a failed attempt to hide the smirk on his face.

"What? I do. They think they know everything because of what the tabloids have printed about us these last few years... If they even knew the half the truth their hair would curl."

"They're just jealous, and not even of the right things. But if any of that ever finds its way to Addy's ears, they will discover the danger of the Oncoming Storm. You have my word on that."

Rose smiled, knowing that he meant every word. "Between the Oncoming Storm and the Bad Wolf protecting her cub, they won't know what hit 'em." Before she could continue, they stopped at the security checkpoint for their office garage. "Morning, Stephen!"

"Good morning ma'am, sir," the guard replied as he scanned them both, and the car, with a handheld device. "Have a good day!"

"Same to you," John called before driving forward and into the depths of the underground garage.

Beyond the garage, entering into the labyrinth that was the Torchwood HQ offices was much like what one would expect James Bond to go through for MI6. There were all sorts of optical scans, fingerprint and DNA verifications. The level of security simply increased the deeper one went.

As the pair made it through final checks, they quickly kissed goodbye before heading in separate directions: John to his laboratory and Rose to a meeting with her father, Pete Tyler, the Director of Torchwood.

"Good luck today," John called after his wife. "I know you'll get him to come around."

"We'll see. It all depends on if he decided to talk to mum about it too. Anyway, I'll see you at lunch." With that, Rose made her way through the winding corridors to her office where her assistant, Clara, was waiting with a hot cup of tea. "Heaven. Thank you!"

"Long day already, eh?"

"You've no idea."

Clara smiled, a genuine smile. "Well, if you need me to rough anybody up, you just let me know. In the meantime, the files for your meeting are on the desk. He's going to agree, I'm sure of it."

"Well, that's one of us at least." Rose took a final sip of her tea before scooping up the files and heading back to the door. "Here goes nothing."

On a normal day, John would tinker with various experiments that he was working on in the lab, work on adapting technology for use in the current time period, help combat whatever alien invasion may be taking place, or make banana smoothies for himself and his assistants. Today though, he felt on edge.

He and Rose had been carefully growing and cultivating their TARDIS since Donna Noble had given them the coral that last day on Bad Wolf Bay. Their ship was nearly fully grown now, and she had even been out for a quick spin or two (or 14, not that anyone was counting). On their last trip though, she had been detected by someone at Torchwood.

Fortunately, Rose's assistant Clara had intercepted the call before any immediate action was called. However, despite all of their attempts to cover up the TARDIS' existence, Pete had found out and wanted to try and claim the ship for Torchwood use.

John looked at the clock and sighed. Rose should just be heading in to her father's office now to convince him that using the TARDIS would be a bad idea. Hell, the TARDIS herself would never agree to that. No, the ship would have to stay with them, where she was safe and they could protect her. And if anyone could convince Pete Tyler of that, it was Rose.

**A/N: So, not too much plot wise yet, but I promise it's coming!**

**Reviews always welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 3

Sinking deeper into the bathtub, Rose closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. It had been an extremely long day at the office, and all she wanted to do now was relax. She hated it when she had to go head-to-head with her father, but sometimes it was necessary to make the man see reason. Today had been particularly challenging though.

_"You know how this is supposed to work, Rose," Pete insisted._

_Rose shook her head. "I don't care. She's not a threat, and she'd never stand for it."_

_"She? What do you mean 'she?'"_

_It was hard to resist rolling her eyes, but somehow Rose managed. "The TARDIS. She's alive - a sentient ship. But she's only a baby still."_

_Slamming his hand on the desk in agitation, Pete let out a frustrated growl. "All the more reason for us to keep watch over 'her' here!"_

_"No." Before she continued, Rose took a deep breath to center herself. "Dad, please. Listen to me. Yes, she is alive. Yes, she is amazing. And I'm sorry, but she belongs with John and me."_

_"But-"_

_"She would _die _without us, don't you understand?"_

Rose was brought out of her thoughts by a soft knock at the bathroom door. Turning to look, she saw the door open a crack and a hand appear holding a glass of red wine.

"You have permission to enter," she smiled as her husband walked in and set the glass down on the edge of the bathtub. "Where's the little monkey?"

"Tucked away in bed, although probably flipping through some books under the covers. Bright little thing, my daughter."

Rose groaned and sank beneath the bubbles for a moment. When she came back up for air she shook her head. "I missed bedtime… sorry."

John sat himself on the floor next to the tub and kissed the top of her head. "Nah, she'll be there when you get out. Probably still awake too."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

_He watched from the shadows of a crumbling building as countless Daleks flew down from their ships and opened fire on everyone the streets, attacking both soldiers and civilians alike. Adults and children were running for their lives, trying to escape the slaughter._

_"Exterminate! Exterminate!"_

_One soldier ran into the building where he had taken cover. He could hear the attempts to call for help, trying to contact the High Council."_

_"Message for the High Council, Priority Omega. Arcadia has fallen. I repeat, Arcadia has fallen!"_

_As the soldier moved to return to the streets to fight, he turned, surprised to see the TARDIS behind him and a man stepping out of the shadows._

_"Soldier, I'm going to need your gun."_

_With the gun in hand, he began firing at the wall. Before the Daleks could converge on his location though, he disappeared into the TARDIS leaving only the words he had etched into the wall with the gun behind: No More._

John awoke with a start breathing heavily, his hands clammy against his skin as he rubbed his temples. It had been so long since that fateful day, and so long since he had dreamed of the last time he had not truly been the Doctor. His head ached with the stress of the memory, suddenly so vivid in his mind.

Rose rolled over, still half asleep. "Alright?" she whispered, placing her hand on his back.

"Fine," he tried to assure her.

"Whatimesit?"

"Half-three. Go back to sleep, love."

She mumbled an incoherent response, causing John to smile slightly as she turned back onto her side and fell back asleep. He gently stroked her hair before getting up and out of bed, no longer able - or willing - to go back to sleep himself. There was something about the dream that disturbed him, a trace of something that seemed off. So instead, he grabbed his bathrobe and quietly left the room.

Wandering down the hallway, he stopped at Adelyn's door to check on his sleeping daughter. As usual, she had kicked her blankets off and curled herself into a ball in the center of the bed. Shaking his head, he knelt beside her bed and pulled the covers back over the sleeping child. "Sleep well," he breathed, kissing her forehead. "Only the best dreams for you, sweetpea." He closed the bedroom door behind him and silently descended the stairs decided that a cup of tea might help him relax. Or perhaps a brandy.

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

Several days had passed since the dreams first began in earnest, leaving several nights of troubled, interrupted sleep in their wake. Each night it was as though another door opened in John's mind revealing a new layer of disturbing secrets beneath the last. With each new revelation he found himself wanting to share with Rose but every time he tried, the words somehow died in his throat.

And then he had the dream that changed everything.

_Looking around to make sure that he hadn't been followed, the man deftly made his way through the hidden entrance to the Omega Arsenal, the structure where all of the once forbidden weapons known to the Time Lords were hidden. He wound his way through the empty hallways, feeling ill at the knowledge that almost all of these unthinkable weapons had been used - and failed - against the Daleks. He knew that there was only one option left, one way to bring an end to the Time War and save the Universe at large._

_Stopping in front of the pedestal in the center of the topmost gallery he breathed deeply. This was it, the only way that he could stop it. Steeling himself before he could change his mind, he lifted the intricate box and placed it in the duffel bag he carried. Quick as he could, he ran back through the Arsenal and to the waiting TARDIS. Once a good distance from the city, he abandoned his ship and began his trek across the desert until he happened upon a solitary barn in the distance._

_"Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro… I serve notice on you all. Too long I have stayed my hand. Today, you leave me no choice. Today, this war will end. No More. No. More."_

_Once inside, he set down the bag and pulled out the ornate box and began pressing the gears to try and open it. The time had come to use The Moment._

_"How do you work?" he wondered aloud. "Why is there never a big red button?" Suddenly he heard a scuffling noise outside and ran to peer out the door. "Hello? Is there somebody there?"_

_The response, however, came from behind him. "It's nothing," a female voice replied. "It's just a wolf."_

_He turned back to the box, shocked to see a young woman sitting on it. "Don't sit on that!"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because it's not a chair - it's the most dangerous weapon in the universe!" He pulled her bodily from the box and threw her outside, making sure to ignore the offended look she gave him as he locked the door behind her._

_"Why can't it be both?" the same voice asked, once again from her perch on the box. "Why did you park so far away? Didn't you want her to see it?"_

_He stared at her, momentarily shocked. "Want who to see?"_

_"The TARDIS," she taunted, jumping up and circling him. "You walked for miles and miles and miles and miles."_

_"I was thinking!"_

_"I heard you."_

_"You heard me?"_

_"No… more. No more. No more," she repeated over and over, practically mocking him as she marched in place._

_"Stop it!"_

_"No more! No more!"_

_"Who are you?" Before she could answer though, he heard the gears of The Moment start clicking into place. "It's activating. Get out of here!" He went back over to the box and touched it, instantly pulling his hand back "Ow!"_

_"What's wrong?" she asked from her new perch on an upside-down crate._

_"The interface is hot!"_

_"Well," she said conspiratorially, "I do my best."_

_"There's a power source inside," he muttered, pausing while her words washed over him. He looked up at the blonde woman sitting in front of him "You're the interface?"_

_"They must have told you The Moment had a conscience. Hello!" She waved her fingers at him. "Oh, look at you. Stuck between a girl and a box. Story of your life, eh, Doctor?"_

_He stared at her, his mind full of mingled fear and shock. "You know me?"_

_"I hear you," she replied, jumping up and walking toward him. "All of you, jangling around in that dusty old head of yours. I chose this face and form especially for you. It's from your past. Or possibly your future - I always get those two mixed up."_

_"I don't have a future."_

_"I think I'm called… Rose Tyler. No. Yes, no, sorry. No, no. In this form, I'm called… Bad Wolf. Are you afraid of the big bad wolf, Doctor?" she asked, her eyes glowing before him._

"No!" John shouted, sitting bolt upright in bed, the sheet knotted and tangled around him.

"What?" Rose gasped, jumping up and into full consciousness as well.

"She was there," he said, his chest heaving as he swallowed large swells of air.

"Where? Where's Addy?" She could feel the panic rising in the back of her mind and was halfway to the door before she heard John's next words.

"Not Addy. You. The Bad Wolf."

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**A/N: And so it begins... And as always, reviews are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 4

It took several minutes, but Rose finally coaxed John back into bed. He now lay curled beside her, his head on her lap as she sat, stroking his hair. Seeing him like that earlier had scared her, hearing the fear and uncertainty in his voice was almost too much to bear. Once his breathing returned to normal she decided it was safe to speak.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He swallowed hard, and nodded. "I remembered."

"Remembered what, love?"

"The day I killed them all."

Rose's hand froze in its place and she looked down at him with concern in her eyes. "You'll always remember that," she breathed.

John returned her gaze, not once moving his eyes from hers. "Not like this. Something is different, something has changed. It's like my history is being rewritten, and you... no, she - Bad Wolf - is part of it."

"That's not possible."

"I know. And yet, it feels true. Rose, I remember it, her, you. My memories of that day are changing."

John spoke with such earnestness that she wasn't sure how to respond. From her time traveling with him, with the Doctor, Rose understood that his memories were capable of changing if the events of the past veered from the original version that he had lived. However, she couldn't recall it happening as a result of his own personal history. Especially not with something as important as this.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"No, of course!" John jumped up and immediately began pacing the room. "You weren't there, but you were. No, the Interface! She took your form, the Moment was you."

"I- I just… _What_?"

John sighed and crawled back beside her on the bed that they had shared for the last 7 years. "The weapon that he- that I used, it was called the Moment. Only over time it developed a consciousness. When I stole it, the interface used an image from my future to take form, and that image was you, well Bad Wolf." He took another deep breath as he absentmindedly ran his thumb in small circles on the back of Rose's hand. "It had to end. The suffering, every moment in time and space was burning and it had to end. There was only one way that I knew to do it, and that was to use the Moment and kill them all: Time Lords and Daleks alike. My punishment, according to her, was that I alone would live."

The couple sat in silence for several minutes, both digesting what John had said. It had indeed been a punishment, and he did penance for that decision every day of his existence. Even now, as a human man separated from their former universe, he still did everything that he could to make up for taking so many lives that day.

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

"Come on, sweetpea," Rose said, lifting the small girl up. "Time to go see Nana and Papa." She turned and held Adelyn out to John so he could say goodbye.

"You be good, right? I don't want to hear a bad report from Jackie," he warned before kissing her forehead.

Adelyn giggled. "I'm always good," she boasted.

"Oh," Rose scoffed. "Always good, eh? Is that what you're calling it now, you little trouble-maker. Let's go. Bye, daddy!"

"Bye-bye, daddy," Adelyn echoed.

John shook his head and smiled, watching the pair of them leave. His girls. He knew that he would be lost without them both, that Rose truly did save and make him better. She had then given him the one thing he never thought he could have again: a family of his own. Now though, it was time to work.

Abandoning the office where he traditionally worked when he was at home, he stepped out into the garden, to the shed where they kept the TARDIS safely parked and out of the neighbors' sight.

"Hello there, beautiful," he said upon entering the ship. The lights grew momentarily brighter in recognition and he felt the welcoming hum from the TARDIS in his mind. "Let's see how everything is coming along, eh?"

He climbed into the space underneath the time rotor, being careful not to disturb the still growing circuits below. For once, he was there simply to observe that everything was going well rather than trying to fix something that didn't necessarily need fixing. Nodding as he went along, pleased with what he saw, the Doctor carefully made his way back up into the control room.

The anxious hum of the ship tickled his mind as he sat down in the jump seat. "I know, I'd fancy nothing more than a quick trip too," he smiled. "But we've got to at least wait for Rose, okay?"

In response, the TARDIS light went out for a fraction of a second, plunging him into complete darkness.

"No need to be angr-" he cut of. "What is that?" he asked, suddenly rising and walking over to the coat rack Rose had placed by the door. He reached out to touch it, surprised to find that it was real. Without thinking about it further, he flicked the red fez off of the hook and caught it deftly before promptly placing it on his head. "I remember you…" he whispered.

_It had arrived out of nowhere. The fez landed in front of him and the Bad Wolf as they sat in the abandoned barn, flying through the whirling fissure of time that she had opened to allow him to see his future, what ending the Time War would do to him. Just as suddenly though, he was no longer sitting in the barn but standing in a forest with two young men in suits._

_"Anyone lose a fez?" he asked._

_"You," the taller of the two responded rudely. "How can you be here? More to the point, why are you here?"_

_"Good afternoon," he replied back. "I'm… looking for the Doctor."_

_"Well… you've certainly come to the right place," the skinny man said._

_"Good! Right. Well, who are you boys? Oh, of course! Are you his companions?"_

_"His companions?" the other, wearing a bowtie no less, repeated sounding highly offended._

_"They get younger all the time! Well, if you could point me in the general direction of the Doctor…"_

_Rather than responding this time though, both of of the other men simply reached into their pockets and pulled out their sonic screwdrivers._

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah," the bowtie said._

_"Really," the skinny one agreed._

_Something about this just didn't feel natural to him. As the Doctor, he had run into other regenerations of himself before, but this was odd even by those standards. "You're me? Both of you?"_

_"Yep," skinny agreed again, making a popping sound at the end of the word._

_"Even that one?" He gestured to the bowtie, unsure that he should really believe his eyes._

_"Yes"_

_"You're my future selves."_

_"YES!" they shouted in unison._

_"Am I having a midlife crisis?" He stepped toward the pair of them, surprised when they stepped away and aimed their screwdrivers at him, brandishing them like a weapon._

_"Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols! You look like you've seen a ghost…"_

_Tucking the screwdrivers back into their respective pockets, skinny took what he hoped was a deep, calming breath._

_"Still… loving the posh, gravelly thing. It's very convincing."_

_"Brave words, Dick Van Dyke," bowtie snarked._

_Before anyone could bite back though, the trio found themselves surrounded by soldiers, their leader taking his place in front of the now prisoners._

_"Which of you is the Doctor? The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the Doctor's head."_

_"Well, _this_ has all the makings of your lucky day."_

"John? _John_? Doctor!" Rose was yelling lightly smacking his face, trying to wake him from where he had collapsed on the floor of the TARDIS. He realized that he must have been out for a while if she had started calling him 'Doctor' instead of 'John.'

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head to try and snap out of whatever that had been.

Rose sighed with relief that her husband was finally awake. While he wasn't in the house when she returned from dropping Adelyn off with her parents, she wasn't surprised to find that he was in the TARDIS. However, finding him lying unconscious on the control room floor was a bit more than she was prepared to handle.

"I was about to call for an ambulance! Are you okay?"

He sat up slowly, grateful for her help. "I'm fine," he quietly insisted. "Just a bit dizzy."

Rose still looked concerned. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I saw the fez and-"

"The what?!"

John lifted the fez from where it had landed when he fell. "As soon as I touched it, I remembered more."

"More what?"

"I saw myself-er-them. Remember the dreams? How I said my memories were changing?" He paused, waiting for Rose to nod. "It happened again, I think it is happening now. And somehow, I saw me, this Doctor," he gestured to himself to emphasize the point, "And a future regeneration."

"There were two of you?"

"Three," he corrected.

"Like on the Crucible?"

John shook his head. "No. Three of me, well, sort of. The two of them, future versions of me - from after the metacrisis - I mean, and one from the past. _Him_," he finished darkly."The one that killed them all."

Rose's jaw dropped. Other than what John had told her the other night, she really knew very little about that time in his life. Whatever had happened to bring it about though, something was now causing it to be in flux. As sure as Rose was about her husband and the life that they had built together on Pete's World, this new realization terrified her. Change was coming, and it appeared that there was nothing that they could do but wait.

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**A/N: Reviews are appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 5

It had only been a few months, but Clara was already incredibly fond of Rose Tyler-Smith. She and the Torchwood associate director got along quite well, so much so that lying to her was starting to become harder and harder. She knew that it was a necessary evil however, and that it probably wouldn't be for much longer. At least she hoped that it wouldn't be.

Soon enough, the Doctor - _her_ Doctor - would have a plan and together they would come clean to both Rose and John - make them understand the importance of laying low, keeping under the intergalactic radar as it were. Given everything that had happened in their original Universe, Clara was determined to make the pair see sense; if not for their own good, then for their daughter's.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Rose said, smiling as she walked up to Clara's desk.

Clara closed her eyes for a moment and shook herself from her reverie. "Sorry, what?"

"Nothing, just making sure you're still with me. Something on your mind?"

Clara sighed before pasting an apologetic smile on her face. "It's nothing. Just worried about my dad."

Rose immediately took on a look of concern. "Is he ill again? If you need to take some time-"

"No, it's fine. Really. I just need to focus on something else."

"How about this then: come by for dinner, yeah? Nothing fancy, just a decent meal and you'll get to see Addy," Rose offered.

Clara was momentarily stunned. It's not as though Rose hadn't invited her over before, but she always had an excuse ready so that she wouldn't have to be around Dr. John Smith for an extended period of time. No matter what the Doctor told her, she was still nervous that he would remember her. For some reason though, this time she was drawing a complete blank at the offer. She knew that she should say no, but the words refused to surface. So, before she could stop herself, she agreed.

Rose grinned at her assistant, glad to help the girl take her mind off of things for a few hours. "Perfect! Come 'round at half-six."

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As much as John once complained about the domestic life, he could definitely say for certain that it was never dull. Take right now for example: he had a screaming child in one arm, a burning saute pan in the other, a smoke detector that _wouldn't shut up_ going above his head, and someone had just rung the doorbell. Naturally, three of the four items were related. Trying to maneuver as deftly as he could, John dropped the burning pan into the sink, kissed the top of his daughter's head, and ran to the door, leaving the smoke detector to detect the smoke from the pan that was still smouldering in the sink.

Expecting it to be Rose after having forgotten her keys again, he wrenched the door open and quickly passed the still crying child into the woman's arms before rushing back toward the kitchen and extracting his newly minted sonic screwdriver from his pocket to deal with the alarm. What he had failed to notice though was that it was not Rose at the door but instead Clara, a bottle of wine in one hand and now a shocked-silent, tear-stained child in the other.

"God save the Queen," she said to Adelyn, a bit louder than she had intended as the screeching of the smoke detector had suddenly stopped.

John appeared back in the now silent foyer, a stunned expression on his face. "What did you say?" he breathed.

"What?" Clara said quickly, mentally chiding herself for being so careless. There was no monarch in this world, nor had there been for nearly 200 years - they lived in the Republic of Great Britain. "I think this belongs to you," she said in an attempt to sidestep her mistake, handing Adelyn back to her father who promptly set her down. The little girl slid behind her father's legs, peeking around with a sudden case of the shys.

"Right, yes. Of course," John replied, tugging on his ear nervously. "Come in, Clara. Sorry about that, but Rose should be back soon. I'm thinking that dinner might end up as takeaway, if that's alright. Bit of a crazy-"

"Not a problem," Clara grinned. She was used to the Doctor's rambling after all of her time traveling with him, and it amused her to see that his metacrisis, no, Dr. John Smith, was no different. He probably would have kept going had she not cut him off. "I brought wine."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

All in all, it had been an enjoyable evening. Clara got along quite well with Adelyn, and the little girl already trusted her implicitly considering that they had only met in passing before. Rose was amused by the story of how John had greeted her at the door, and although disappointed that the shepherds pie she had been looking forward to didn't come to fruition, the Indian takeaway was delicious. The only dark spot on the evening was that something was obviously bothering John. Tactful as she usually was, Rose chose to wait until their guest had left for the evening and Adelyn was tucked away for the night before questioning her husband.

"Well? Why the dark cloud?" Rose asked once John had joined her in bed.

He sat silently beside her for a moment, leaning against the headboard and watching her rub her lotion on her hands and arms. "Where did you say Clara was from?"

Rose looked over at him, surprised. "Lancashire, I think. Why?"

"Ah. It's probably nothing," he said quickly. Glancing at Rose, he noticed her quirked eyebrow. "Just something she said earlier, I can't shake it."

"And that was..."

"She said 'God save the Queen.'"

"Okay. And...?"

Letting out an exaggerated huff, he shook his head. "Think about it, Rose. 'God save the Queen.' Why would she say that?"

Rose shrugged. "It's a thing that people say. Would you prefer that she said King- _Oh!_" She slumped back against the headboard as the realization struck her. "Do you think she's stuck here? Trapped as well?"

"Possibly," he shrugged. "But I doubt it. There's something else, something just beneath the surface."

"What do you mean?"

"It's almost like... No," he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Nothing. It can't be."

"John," Rose interrupted, a note of warning in her voice. "Spit it out."

"The Family of Blood."

Rose paled. She remembered the story well, the Doctor and Martha hiding in 1913. It seemed especially poignant to her now that the Doctor had made himself human to avoid detection from the Family. Could Clara be looking for him as well? A wave of guilt washed over Rose as she revisited every choice she had made since the young woman first entered her office. Taking her on as an assistant seemed an easy decision, inviting her into their home, watching her play with their child... Heat rose in her face as anger swiftly bubbled to the surface.

"I'll handle her," Rose spat, throwing the duvet aside and making to stand.

"What? No!" John grabbed Rose's wrist and pulled her back down beside him. "Not like that, love. It's these dreams - bleeding through. That's what happened to me then, snippets of my actual life, of you. They all came through in my dreams."

"So you're telling me that you've actually been _dreaming_ about _another woman_. Clara. My assistant."

"Exactly."

Rose closed her eyes and silently counted to 10, still amazed by how clueless her husband could sometimes be. "Care to try that again?"

John, for his part, simply stared at her. "What?" he asked, genuinely confused by her question. "I don't- Ooooh, nice try, Mrs." He pulled her closer to him and kissed her hair. "You know what I mean. She's involved somehow, with me. I mean, the Doctor. I just need to find the missing piece."

Smiling slightly, Rose snuggled closer to John. "Well, if there is one thing that you're good at, _Doctor_, it is solving puzzles."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

**A/N: Well, I know there wasn't much action in this one, but a bit of suspicion with a better idea of Clara. And thank you to TheWheelWeaves for the musing session(s)! The "God save the Queen" line came from one such session, hopefully I did it justice. If you haven't yet, be sure to check out her RoseLock stories - BRILLIANT!**

**Meanwhile (and as always) please leave a review and let me know what you think!**

**More 50th to come!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 6

Sometimes it amazed John how time flew in this universe. Although it felt perfectly normal to those living in Pete's World, they actually ran ahead of other parallel worlds. Despite the fact that he was biologically human, John still possessed both the mind and acute senses of a Time Lord which allowed him to feel the difference in the passage of time. Normally it was not an issue for him, he was able to simply live his daily life and not allow the presence of differing time patterns within his mind to impact him. Now that his memories were shifting into something new though, he was far more aware of the issue.

When he first started having the dreams, he thought that was all that they were: stories created by his subconscious to assuage his lingering guilt. As he had explained to Rose, the dreams were gradually becoming more tangible, and he started to realize that they weren't dreams but actual memories; memories that were being both created and unlocked as the events took place. So when faced the strangest onslaught of new memories yet, John felt far more prepared. And terrified.

_The three Doctors were still in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the Queen's guard when Her Majesty herself joined them. Only, according to the skinny one, she wasn't actually the Queen but instead a Zygon? He couldn't help but wonder how that had happened, although it didn't really matter. If she was an "alien duplicate" as the skinny one insisted, then so be it. The problem wasn't that, but instead that she was insisting on sending them all to be incarcerated in the Tower. That's when things started to get all "timey-wimey" as the bowtie had so _articulately_ stated earlier._

_"No, hang on," Bowtie interrupted, suddenly pacing around incredibly animated. "The Tower! Did you say the Tower? Ah, yes, brilliant, love the Tower. Breakfast at eight, please. Will there Wi-Fi?"_

_He stared at the man in the bowtie with complete disbelief. "Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands about?" What was wrong with these future Doctors? Were they mentally unstable?_

_"Yes!" he insisted, before flailing his hands again. "No," he conceded. Turning to the (imposter) Queen, he spoke with great authority. "I demand to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately with my co-conspirators, Sandshoes and Grandad!"_

_Wait, what? "Grandad?"_

_"They're not sandshoes," Skinny pouted._

_They really were like children. So much so that he couldn't hide the smirk from his face as he replied, "Yes, they are!" And at that, the three were taken to the Tower of London and thrown unceremoniously into a cell._

_The door closed behind them and the bowtie Doctor immediately found something with which to graffiti one of the walls. Typical children. It would be up to him to get them out of this mess. Shaking his head, he pulled out his own sonic screwdriver and began scanning the door to the cell. If the two of them wanted to argue the semantics of the three of them being confined in a room together, so be it. He was going to get them out of there._

_Bringing him out of his reverie, the skinny one - Sandshoes - managed to sum up their situation rather nicely while also accusing him of something. "OK, so the Queen of England is now a Zygon, but never mind that, why are we all together? Why are we all here? Well, me and... Chinny, we were surprised. But you came looking for us - you knew it was going to happen. Who told you?"_

_He looked from one of his future selves to the other, noticing that the Moment Interface was also in the room with them, leaning against a wall. She shook her head slightly, indicating that he shouldn't mention her to the others. Instead, he turned his focus back to scanning the door. "In theory, I can trigger an isolated sonic shift among the molecules, and the door should disintegrate."_

_"We'd have to calculate the exact harmonic resonance of the entire structure down to a sub-atomic level," Sandshoes said. "Even the sonic would take years."_

_"No, no. The sonic would take centuries," he corrected before taking a seat. "Oh, we might as well get started. Help to pass the 'timey-wimey.' Do you have to talk like children? What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown-up?" Both of the other Doctors fell silent and peered over at him, quick to look away. "Oh, the way you both look at me. What is that? I'm trying to think of a better word than 'dread.'"_

_Sandshoes was the first to break the silence that fell between them. "It must be really recent for you."_

_"Recent?"_

_"The Time War," Chinny elaborated. "The last day. The day you killed them all."_

_"The day we killed them all," Sandshoes corrected._

_"Same thing."_

_"It's history for them," the Interface explained. "All decided. They think their future is real - they don't know it's still up to you."_

_"I don't talk about it," he muttered._

_"You're not talking about it," Sandshoes pointed out. "There's no-one else here."_

_The Interface looked from him to the other Doctors. "Go on," she encouraged him. "Ask them. Ask them what you need to know."_

_Before he could even consider stopping himself, he did just that. "Did you ever count?"_

_"Count what?"_

_"How many children there were on Gallifrey that day."_

_Momentarily distracted from his wall etching, Chinny turned to face him. "I have absolutely no idea," he said darkly._

_"How old are you now?"_

_"Ah...I don't know, I lose track," Chinny said, turning his focus back to the wall. "Twelve hundred and something, I think, unless I'm lying. I can't remember if I'm lying about my age - that's how old I am."_

_"400 years older than me. And in all that time, you've never even wondered how many there were? You never once counted?"_

_"Tell me... what would be the point?"_

_"2.47 billion," Sandshoes quietly stated._

_"You did count!"_

_Turning to the older Doctor - Chinny - Sandshoes could hardly hide his contempt. "You forgot? 400 years? Is that all it takes?"_

_"I moved on."_

_"Where?! Where can you be now that you can forget something like that?"_

_"Spoilers."_

_"No," Sandshoes stated. "No, no, no. For once, I would like to know where I'm going."_

_"No. You really wouldn't."_

_He watched the two stare at each other, hardly believing what he saw. This was supposed to be his future? "I don't know who you are...either of you. I haven't got the faintest idea."_

_"They're you," the Interface said, responding to both his thoughts and spoken words. "They're what you become if you destroy Gallifrey. The man who regrets... and the man who forgets. The moment is coming. The Moment is me, you have to decide."_

_He shook his head in response. "No."_

_"No?" Sandshoes repeated, looking at him as though he had lost his mind. Ha! There was a thought._

_"Just... no!"_

_Chinny stopped his scraping on the wall to laugh. At least someone else seemed to realize the ridiculousness of the current situation._

_"Is something funny?" Sandshoes asked, flipping his sonic in the air. "Did I miss a funny thing?"_

_"Sorry. It just occurred to me. This is what I'm like when I'm alone."_

_He watched as the Interface was suddenly standing behind Sandshoes, watching his actions. "It's the same screwdriver," she pointed out. "Same software...different case."_

_"400 years!" He moved closer to Sandshoes as well, ignoring the man's obvious confusion. "At a software level, they're all the same device, aren't they? Same software, different case."_

_"Yeah. So...?"_

_"So, it would take centuries for the screwdriver to calculate how to disintegrate the door. Scanning the door, implanting the calculation as a permanent subroutine in the software architecture and... If you really are me, with your sandshoes and your dicky bow, and that screwdriver is still mine... that calculation is still going on."_

_For once, he noticed, both of his future selves were not staring at him with contempt. Instead, they appeared to be taking in his words, fascinated by this suggestion. He watched as first Sandshoes pulled out his sonic to check the calculations._

_"Yeah, still going…"_

_Nodding in encouragement, both men turned to Chinny for his assessment of the situation. "Calculation complete."_

_The Moment Interface grinned. "Same software, different face."_

_"Eh, 400 years in four seconds," Chinny said. "We may have our differences, which is frankly odd in the circumstances, but I tell you what, boys, we are incredibly clever!"_

_Before they could congratulate each other any further though, the door of the cell slammed open and a young woman burst in._

John's eyes once again flew open in shock. That's why she seemed so familiar. That is why she had always seemed slightly out of place. It was Clara.

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

John walked right past Clara in his haste to track her down. Expecting that she would be at her desk, he ignored the fact that she was exiting the small cafe in the lobby of their office building. He had made his way to the lifts and was repeatedly pushing the "up" button in his anxiousness to get upstairs. Just as he was about to give up and take the stairs instead, she appeared behind him.

"Good morning, John," she smiled. "Bit eager, eh? If you're looking for Rose-"

He rounded on her, shaking his head. "Looking for you, actually, Clara."

She looked up at the man, so familiar and yet different from the Doctor she remembered in that form. He was starting to make her feel nervous. "Oh," she lamely replied.

"Think we might have a little chat? I just had a question for you about certain… _events_."

"Perhaps we should go upstairs, yeah? Talk somewhere a bit more private."

"After you," John said, gesturing for her to enter the lift that had just arrived.

The ride upstairs was silent save for Clara taking the occasional sip of her morning coffee. Once they arrived at their designated floor, John led the way into Rose's empty office, making sure to close the door behind them both to ensure privacy.

"What's this about then?" Clara asked, taking a seat as John began pacing around the small room.

He ran a hand through his hair before allowing it to settle on the back of his neck, a nervous habit that had followed the Doctor into his next two regenerations. She could tell that he was debating how to broach whatever subject was on his mind, and could only hope that it wasn't what she feared.

Stopping suddenly, John turned to face Clara head-on. "How long have you traveled with the Doctor, Clara?"

Her breath caught in her throat. This was exactly what she was afraid of after she'd been so careless with her comments the other evening. "What do you-"

"Don't," he said. "Just don't. You were there, with them - no, _us_ - in the Tower. I remember. I remember everything."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

**A/N: Reviews? Always appreciated, you know…!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 7

"Doctor?" Clara called as she entered the TARDIS. "Doctor! Are you here?"

The resident Time Lord calmly walked into the console room, wiping his hands on his jacket as he went. "Right here, Clara. Is something wrong?" Seeing the look on her face, he rushed over to her, his hands on her shoulders and his head lowered so that he could look her directly in the eyes.

Just as Clara was about to respond, the TARDIS door opened again, pulling his attention away from her. The Doctor narrowed his eyes as their, well his, unexpected guest let himself in leaving Clara to look nervously between the Doctor and the newest arrival: John Smith.

Standing just inside the entry, John couldn't help but smile as he took in the beautiful ship. The briefly noted that the desktop had changed again, but it didn't matter. He felt her soothing presence wash over him - a feeling that he hadn't realized he had desperately missed. Yes, he and Rose had their own TARDIS, but it wasn't the same. She was only a child, but this ship, she was the Mother. She had been his constant companion for 900 years, metacrisis or not. He closed his eyes and basked in the glory of feeling her inside his mind once again.

"Ah," the Doctor said, watching John intently. "You shouldn't be here. Clara, why is he here?"

"I thought it might be best if you explained it to… you."

Ignoring the exchange between Clara and Doctor, John stroked the nearest bit of the TARDIS he could reach. "Hello, old girl." He grinned when the ship's lights flared in response. She was obviously glad to see him again as well.

Clara slowly walked over to John, hesitant to disrupt his obviously happy reunion with the TARDIS. She reached out to him, gently placing her hand on his arm. "John?"

"Right, yes," he said, shaking his head. "Sorry. It's just been…" he trailed off, smiling again. "Rose should-"

"No!" the Doctor interrupted. "Not Rose."

John's head snapped up as he glared at this newest regeneration of the Doctor and allowed himself a moment to really take the man in. He was certainly older, more distinguished than the future version that he had seen already in his mind. He carried himself with a hint of the old arrogance, but was obviously much more comfortable in his own skin. Still, there was more to him though. He knew things, remembered things. He no longer carried the burden of guilt with him. Not to mention that the man standing before him was…

"Scottish! How is it that you're Scottish? I always wanted to be Scottish," John whined.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. Still a child, apparently. "No. You always wanted to be _ginger_."

"Well, I didn't get to be that either, did I!"

Tutting in response, the Doctor shook his head and turned his attention to the time rotor. "You had that moment in Scotland with Queen Victoria, if you'd care to recall."

John smiled at the memory before glaring at the Doctor, who was making a point of ignoring him. "Knighted and exiled on the same day. Those were good times. With _Rose_."

Clara just looked from one man to the other. "Are you both finished?" she asked in a small voice. "Ready to move on?"

The Doctor smirked. "Born ready, actually."

"Oh, clever one, you," John replied. "That figures."

"Boys!"

"Of course," the Doctor said. "Sorry, Clara."

John once again narrowed his eyes. "What are you playing at, old man?"

"Noticed, have you? Looks as though you're getting there yourself, so good on you. Enjoy your humanity. Now if you don't mind, I've got some work to do."

"Doctor…" Clara warned. Rudeness was still something that transcended regeneration. "He _knows_."

"Not possible. And you shouldn't have brought him here," he scolded.

"Oh, it's possible," John countered. "It's happening right now, and I can see it unfolding as it goes. Bit different from what I remember though. Perspective, I suppose. Everything still in flux, can't see how it ends, although maybe it is the same as what I always thought, just with more players. But maybe not. Of course you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Why else would you-"

"Shut up!" the Doctor roared. "How did anyone ever put up with you and that unforgivable gob?"

"Doctor!" Clara admonished. She was horrified by his behavior toward John, but not altogether surprised when she stopped to think about it. He was much like this when everything unfolded and he was faced with his former selves before.

"Why are you here," John said, much more calmly this time. All he wanted was an answer to that question.

"Just tell him," Clara encouraged.

"I can't."

"What d'you mean you 'can't'? You found a way to cross universes, come back to Pete's World. There has to be a reason. What is it?"

"You, of all people, should understand what I mean. Just know this, Dr. John Smith: Clara and I are here to protect you and your family. So go back to them, and allow us to continue doing what needs to be done so that we can go home."

"Protect us from what?"

"Doesn't matter. Just go."

As if to underline the Doctor's point, John's mobile rang. He pulled the phone from his pocket to find that it was Rose's name on the caller ID. He answered the phone with a quick "Just one moment, love," before hitting the mute button and turning back to the Doctor and Clara. "This isn't over. We will talk more later." And with that, he walked out of the TARDIS. "Shall I pick up dinner?" they heard his voice trailing behind as he walked away.

Still staring at the TARDIS doors, Clara shook her head. "Doctor, he knows. Why not tell him that they could be in danger?"

"He doesn't know everything, Clara," the Doctor explained gently, taking her hand in his. "Not yet. He will soon though, he'll get there very soon. And when he does, we'll be ready to act."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

It had been yet another long week for Rose, and Clara calling out sick yesterday hadn't helped things. Usually she could count on the girl to run interference for her, keeping the lesser problems associated with working at Torchwood at bay. Unfortunately, due to her assistant's untimely absence, she wound up dealing with all sorts of minor work-related headaches that resulted in her having to go to the office on a Saturday. At least she was able to catch up before the entire day was lost though. Heading home, she looked forward to spending a relaxing afternoon with her husband and daughter.

Entering the house, Rose walked into the kitchen where John was sitting at the table with Adelyn on his lap and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What are you feeding my child?"

"I cooked, mummy!" Adelyn proudly beamed, noodles dripping from her mouth back into the mug in front of her.

John stifled a laugh at the look of horror on his wife's face. "Weeeeeeeeell," he began. "You know. She pushed the buttons on the microwave."

"Yes, but what is that?"

"Cup-a-Soup. We fancied a snack, didn't we, sweetpea?"

The child nodded and slurped up another noodle as Rose shook her head in disbelief. "Where did you even find that?"

"Long story. Seemed like a good idea at the time though." John shrugged and then with the skilled hands of someone who had maneuvered himself out of similar situations many times, he stood up and quickly placed Adelyn in her booster seat before she even noticed what was happening.

Once Adelyn had settled back into eating her soup, he gestured for Rose to follow him over to the doorway so that they'd be out of the child's earshot.

"What?" Rose asked, suddenly concerned. "What happened?"

"Have you heard from Clara?"

"No, not since yesterday. Why? Did something happen?"

"Can you call her? I think she needs to be here…"

Rose could feel her heart begin to race. "What is it? What happened?" There was a definite sense of both urgency and unease coursing through her mind.

"It's the dreams, Rose, the memories. Do you remember? Remember what I told you," he whispered urgently. "The promise that I made all those centuries ago when I chose to become the Doctor."

Rose nodded, still feeling dazed by the frantic turn of events. "Of course. 'Never cruel or cowardly. Never give up-"

"Never give in," John finished. "Well, I intend to keep that promise. So please, call Clara. And ask if her _friend_ will come as well. We need to settle something."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

**A/N: And so Twelve enters the fray as well… It just seemed time to move things along, so I hope you are enjoying it!**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 8

Rose had settled on the floor of the family room with Adelyn and was distractedly helping her build a fairy castle out of legos while John paced around the room.

"Please," she asked again. "Sit down. Clara said that they were coming."

"The longer they take to get here-"

"Who is she bringing, anyway?"

John took a deep breath, which was when he heard it. In that, the shortest span of a fraction of a second of silence before he exhaled, the wheezing sound of the TARDIS materializing could be heard from outside.

"No," Rose said, disbelief overtaking her. "But I thought it was-"

"We should have known better to ever say impossible."

Rose immediately jumped up, scooping Adelyn into her arms as she did so. The child made a noise of protest and squirmed around, but it was to no avail. "Sweetpea, we have some very important company coming over. An old friend of mummy and daddy's. Will you be good for us?"

Not one to remain sullen, Adelyn nodded and chewed her lip. "Uh-huh," she agreed.

Rose kissed her daughter's head and hugged the girl closer, practically running out into the back garden where the familiar Police Box was now standing. With John at her heels, Rose cautiously walked up to the TARDIS doors, laying her hand softly against the wooden exterior. "Oh, how I've missed you," she whispered.

"Don't cry, mummy," Adelyn said, wiping a tear from Rose's cheek as John wrapped his arms around both his wife and child. Just as John rested his chin on Rose's shoulder and kissed her temple, the TARDIS door opened.

"Hello," Clara said.

_She found him sitting in a large wingback chair tucked away in the back of the Black Archive drinking a cup of tea. Walking over, she sat down across from him._

_"Hello," Clara said._

"Hello, Clara," Rose replied, sounding somewhat detached.

"I'm so sorry I lied to you, Rose."

_"I'm Clara," she continued. "We haven't really met yet."_

_He smiled at the young woman. "I look forward to it."_

Rose stared at the young woman she had previously thought of as a friend. "Of all people, you could have trusted me with this."

Clara lowered her eyes and nodded. "I know, but I couldn't tell you. We had to wait."

_"Is there a problem?" he asked. He wasn't sure why she was staring at him the way that she was._

_"The Doctor - my… my Doctor - he's always talking about the day he did it, the day he wiped out the Time Lords to stop the war…"_

_"One would," he agreed._

_"You wouldn't," she, no, Clara, countered. "Because you haven't done it yet. It's still in your future."_

Rose nodded ever so slightly. "Is he here? Is the Doctor with you now?"

Clara looked over her shoulder before turning back to the family in front of her and opening the door the rest of the way. "Come in."

_"You're very sure of yourself."_

_Clara sighed. "He regrets it. I see it in his eyes every day. He'd do anything to change it._

_"How many world has his regret saved, do you think?" he asked. Before she could answer, he had a new question for her. "How did you know?"_

_She smiled. "Your eyes. You're so much younger."_

_"Then, all things considered... It's time I grew up."_

Standing in the center of the console room, the Doctor straightened his collar and smoothed his jacket as he watched the family enter the TARDIS. It had been over 300 years and two regenerations, but his eyes instantly softened the moment that Rose Tyler appeared before him. Holding a child, no less. It was everything he had hoped for her all those years ago.

"Hello, Rose Tyler," he said.

"Hello, Doctor," she replied, smiling slightly. "She looks different."

Adelyn twisted around in Rose's arms trying to figure out who her mother was referring to. The center console glowed brighter, pulling the child's attention and causing a look of comprehension to appear on her face. "You mean the taaaaardis, mummy."

"That's right, sweetpea," John said, taking Adelyn from Rose and setting her down. She quickly left her parents' side and ran to the console, petting it as though it were a cat before turning to look up at the Doctor.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the child. Kneeling down to her level, he held out a hand which she shook firmly. "Hello, there. I'm the Doctor."

"I know that," she said as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. "And I'm Adelyn Noble Tyler-Smith. But you can call me Addy."

He stood and turned to look at Rose and John. "You named her for Donna?"

"Of course," Rose replied as John nodded absently. His mind was clearly elsewhere.

Adelyn frowned at the sudden lack of attention. In an effort to fix this, she tugged on the Doctor's pant leg. "Do you want to meet our taaaaardis?"

As if in response to the child's question, the TARDIS dimmed her lights indicating to the Doctor that now was not the time. "I would love nothing more, Addy, but I think-"

_"I've seen all I needed," he said, looking at the Interface where she stood behind Clara. "The moment has come. I'm ready."_

_"I know you are," the Interface replied._

"Ooh! I'd love to see her... Never seen another TARDIS. Could you show me?" Clara interrupted. She chanced a glance at Rose, who nodded gratefully as she helped a suddenly worse-for-the-wear John sit in the jump seat.

Once Clara and Adelyn had left the TARDIS, Rose allowed herself to slip into panic mode and she fussed over her now unconscious husband and relieved when she felt a steady pulse beneath her fingers. "Doctor, please. What is going on?"

"I'm so sorry, Rose," the Doctor replied. "There's nothing that I can do to stop this."

"Stop what?" she demanded, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to coax John awake.

"He's told you about it? His memories returning?"

Rose nodded. She still didn't understand what one had to do with the other though. Why should memories becoming unlocked affect him physically?

"He's human, Rose. Human with a Time Lord mind. Donna couldn't survive like that, and quite frankly I'm amazed at how well he has been able to-"

"Stop!" Finally moving away from John, Rose turned to face the Doctor. She could feel the years of resentment and anger fighting to make their way to the surface, but there was something else battling them… something keeping those emotions at bay. They didn't matter right now. What happened had happened. What mattered was what was happening now.

_He knew that he shouldn't be surprised. One moment he was sitting in the Tower of London, and the next he was back in the abandoned barn on Gallifrey standing in front of the Moment, now complete with a large red button on top of it._

_"You wanted a big red button," the Interface said. "One big bang - no more Time Lords, no more Daleks. Are you sure?"_

_"I was sure when I came in here. There is no other way."_

_"You've seen the men you will become."_

_"Those men… extraordinary."_

_"They were you."_

_"No," he corrected her. "They were the Doctor."_

_"You're the Doctor too."_

_"No," he repeated, his hand hovering over the button. "Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame... whatever the cost."_

_"You know the sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing...groaning. That sound brings hope wherever it goes."_

_"Yes. Yes, I like to think it does."_

_"To anyone who hears it, Doctor. Anyone, however lost... even you!"_

The Doctor stared at Rose in disbelief. He knew, of course, that something about her had changed. But seeing the golden flecks in her eyes for himself, with these eyes, was unnerving. Not as much as it had been all those centuries ago on the Game Station, but still.

"He's waking up," the Doctor said, pointing at John who was indeed stirring.

"Rose…" he groaned.

Cupping his cheek in her hand, Rose smiled with relief. "I'm here. Right here, love."

John placed his hand on top of Rose's and gave it a squeeze. Allowing her to help him sit back up straight, he once again took in his surroundings. The buzzing of encouragement coming from the TARDIS was a surprisingly vocal presencing in his mind, and suddenly he knew why.

Turning to the Doctor, he had just one question. "Will you keep her safe?"

_The two TARDISes materialized at the far end of the barn. As he watched in awe, Sandshoes stepped out of one of them while Chinny and Clara stepped out of the other. The three new arrivals looked around the building taking it all in as they walked over to him and the Moment._

_"I told you," Clara began. "He hasn't done it yet."_

_"Go away, now, all of you," he commanded. "This is for me."_

_Sandshoes shook his head. "These events should be time locked - we shouldn't even be here," he pointed out, voicing everyone's confusion._

_"So something let us through," Chinny replied._

_The Interface grinned from her new perch behind them "You clever boys!"_

Looking from John to Rose, the Doctor bowed his head. "Of course. Clara will watch her, the TARDIS won't let anything happen to her."

John nodded. "Then we have to go."

_"What?" Rose said, confused, as John pulled her to her feet and ran toward the door. "Go where? And why are we leaving Addy?"_

_"Go back," he demanded again. "Go back to your lives. Go and be the Doctor that I could never be. Make it worthwhile."_

Before they could exit the TARDIS, the doors closed and locked in front of them and the time rotor sprang to life.

_"All those years," Sandshoes said. "Burying you in my memory…"_

The dematerialization sequence began and the Doctor, John, and Rose were shunted roughly around the console.

_"Pretending you didn't exist," Chinny added. "Keeping you a secret, even from myself."_

_Sandshoes nodded. "Pretending you weren't the Doctor, when you were the Doctor more than anybody else."_

_"You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right," Chinny declared, walking over to him._

_"But this time," Sandshoes began, placing a hand on top of the one still lingering over the red button._

_"You don't have to do it alone," Chinny finished, adding his hand to the others._

_"Thank you," he said, meaning it from the bottom of his hearts._

_"What we do today is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way."_

_"And it is done in the name of the many lives we are failing to save," Chinny said. Looking over his shoulder after this declaration, he noticed Clara was on the verge of tears. "What? What is it? What?"_

_"Nothing…" she insisted._

_"No. It's something. Tell me!"_

_"You told me you wiped out your own people," Clara said. "I just… I never pictured you doing it, that's all."_

_The Interface nodded. "Take a closer look," she whispered, causing the barn around them to darken so that they could see what was happening in Arcadia as they spoke._

_"What's happening?" Clara asked, frightened of the battle she was witnessing._

_"Nothing," he assured her. "It's a projection."_

_"It's a reality around you," the Interface corrected._

_Together, the group watched as families were torn apart. Buildings were turned to rubble. Time Lords and Daleks alike were firing at each other in the midst of battle._

_Clara couldn't face it any more. She turned to the three Doctors standing by her. "These are the people you're going to burn?"_

_"There isn't anything we can do."_

_"He's right," Chinny said. "There isn't another way. There never was. Either I destroy my own people or let the universe burn."_

_"Look at you, the three of you. The warrior. The hero. And you."_

"Where are we going?" Rose shouted over the incredible din of the TARDIS. It wasn't like her to make this much noise during flight.

"Not entirely sure," the Doctor yelled back, trying to take back the controls.

John alone was calm. He was confident that the TARDIS would do what she always did: take them exactly where they needed to be.

_"Be a doctor," Clara said. "You told me the name you chose was a promise. What was the promise?"_

_"Never cruel or cowardly," Sandshoes began._

_"Never give up, never give in," he finished, looking from Clara to Chinny, who appeared to be attempting to convey a thought to him._

_"You're not actually suggesting that we change our own personal history?"_

_"We change history all the time," Chinny countered. "I'm suggesting something far worse."_

_"What, exactly?"_

_"Gentleman, I have had 400 years to think about this. I've changed my mind," Chinny informed them, pulling out his sonic and using it to close the Moment._

_"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there, attacking," he pointed out._

_"Yeah, there is, there is."_

_"But there's something those billion billion Daleks don't know."_

_"Cos if they did, they'd probably send for reinforcements."_

_"What? What don't they know?"_

_"This time, there's three of us."_

_"Oh!" he shouted with glee. "Oh! Oh, yes, that is good! That is brilliant!"_

_The next moment, the same thought occurred to Sandshoes as well. "Oh, oh, oh! I'm getting that too - that is brilliant!" He was so giddy at the idea that he high-fived his TARDIS._

With a silent thump, the TARDIS landed. Both John and the Doctor reached for the monitor to try and get a look at what was waiting for them.

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled, flipping switches to try and coax the monitor to work.

"Nothing. It won't come up," John said. He looked over and saw Rose heading toward the doors. "Rose, wait! We don't know what's out there."

_Relief. Relief and joy, that's what he felt. "She didn't just show me any old future," he told the others. "she showed me exactly the future I needed to see!"_

_"Now you're getting it," the Interface giggled._

_"Eh?" Chinny asked. "Who did?"_

_"Oh, Bad Wolf Girl, I could kiss you!" he shouted._

_Still laughing, the Interface nodded. "Yep, that's going to happen!"_

"Sorry, did you say, "Bad Wolf"?" Sandshoes asked, his hearts suddenly racing. Before he could question his former self any further though, he saw something impossible.

Stepping out of the cloaked TARDIS, Rose was surprised by the sight that greeted her. She appeared to be in an old barn, but a familiar voice had reached her ears from in front of her uttering two words she hadn't even thought of until her husband had said them just days before. Just as she processed that realization though, something else took over. It was familiar, and yet new at the same time.

"I told you long ago, Doctor," Rose said to the three Doctors standing before her. "I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself, not merely words scattered through time and space. I could see the whole of everything that ever was and ever would be, every atom of existence. And the end of the Time War."

"Rose, no!" John yelled again, rushing out of the ship and after his wife. He staggered to a halt as he saw the golden tendrils fading away from his wife, and the younger of the three Time Lords - the War Doctor - rush forward to catch her as she collapsed.

Kneeling down with her still in his arms, the War Doctor gently lay her on the ground and brushed his lips against hers. The man smiled as Rose's eyes opened - first wide with shock, and then something more akin to recognition. "Hello, Doctor," she whispered as she reached up to gently stroke his face with her fingertips.

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**A/N: Reviews are appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 9

"_What_?!" Four letters. That was all that the Doctors - Sandshoes and Chinny - could manage as the impossible appeared in front of them.

It was an odd turn of events, something that neither of them saw coming. One in which time seemed to stop for just one instance, just one moment. Rose's eyes were fixed on the Doctor in front of her, while the other incarnations of the Doctor had theirs fixed on her. Clara was the only one free of the spell, and she could only look anxiously from face to face, unsure of what exactly was going on and why this mysterious blonde woman had captivated the attention of everyone else. Never mind the entrance of someone who looked to be the twin of one of the Doctors.

"Hello," the War Doctor said, breaking the silence and smiling down at the woman still in his arms.

"Oi! You, hands off the Missus, if you don't mind," John barked, rushing to her side and extricating her from the War Doctor's embrace.

Rose quirked an eyebrow at the possessive tone her husband's voice and laughed outright when he pulled her up and stood protectively in front her her (sonic screwdriver in-hand) effectively blocking her from the view of other the three men. He may have once claimed that Time Lords don't do jealous, but humans certainly did.

"Now this is just getting ridiculous," the War Doctor said, shaking his head. He turned to the other two Doctors who were still gaping like fish, and then back to John. "It. Is. A. Screwdriver!"

"Quite right. Sorry," John grinned as he flipped his sonic once before placing it in the back pocket of his jeans. "Can't believe I already forgot about that," he muttered, once again eliciting a giggle from Rose.

"Forgot about what, exactly?" Sandshoes asked, finally finding his voice. "You were never meant to be here! How are you here? How is she here?" he added, although the last question mostly meant for himself. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, resting it on the back of his neck as tried to piece together what was going on.

Clara had slowly made her way over to the Doctor - _her_ Doctor - hoping that he might have some answers. "Who is that?" she whispered. "He looks like you, that you," she continued, gesturing over to Sandshoes, "But older. Is that possible?"

Chinny shook his head. "That man is him, and was him," he nodded toward the War Doctor. "However, he was never me, nor I him."

"You do realize that makes absolutely no sense, right? So, thanks for clearing that up."

"Clara, please tell me what - if anything - about this entire scenario actually makes sense."

"Still rude, I see," Rose said, moving from her position behind John, and making eye contact with him. She was about to add a comment that he should be nicer to Clara, but before she could do so she found herself being literally swept off of her feet. Her Doctor - the one that left her in a parallel Norway and had snapped at John - lifted her into a bone-crushing hug, spinning on the spot.

"You're really here," he breathed. "Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf and Defender of the Earth."

She smiled, tongue-in-teeth, at the mixture of relief and amazement hidden in his words. "I told you before, Doctor. Can't get rid of me."

"You forgot Savior of Gallifrey," John added, ignoring the suspicious looks he was receiving from both Chinny and the War Doctor. "Now if you wouldn't mind putting my wife down there, Sandshoes..."

The Time Lord did as requested and set Rose back down on the ground. However, he was unable to step away from her. Instead, he slipped his hand into hers and grinned when she gave his a squeeze in response. Oh, how he had missed that!

"John, really," Rose sighed. "Wait, why 'Sandshoes?'"

"Look at what he's wearing," the other Doctor, in the bowtie, replied.

Rose looked down at the Doctor's shoes. "The Converse? Really? I always loved the Converse. Even Addy wears them. Hell, John, you're wearing Chucks now!"

John shrugged, but the Doctor practically preened at Rose's comment. Of course she loved the Converse. Who didn't love Converse? Well, his older and younger selves, but that didn't matter. But, wait. She had mentioned someone else. "Who-"

Before he could get the question out, Rose had turned back to the older Doctor. "And you. You're not exactly one to judge. What's with the bowtie, yeah?"

"Oi! Rose Tyler, I will have you know that bowties are cool."

"Keep telling yourself that, Doctor," she teased. "Chucks are cool. Especially the baby ones."

"Excuse me," Clara interrupted. "Bit lost over here. If you don't mind, it's been a really long day. Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Rose sighed. She should have known that she would end up meeting Clara at an earlier point in her time stream. She already had the entire back-story not just from the Doctor, if he bothered to share, but from herself. No wonder the girl seemed so comfortable with her family, and took the initiative to remove Addy from the TARDIS. She probably knew what was coming.

"Short version?" Rose asked the Doctors-at-large. When they nodded, she continued. "I used to travel with the Doctor… _that_ Doctor," she added, pointing to Sandshoes. "Well, him and a previous regeneration, but that's neither here nor there right now." She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts. "Right, short. Parallel world, husband, Dr. John Smith," she said proudly. "Looks like the Doctor due to human-Time Lord biological metacrisis. Don't ask me to repeat that, I hate it." She turned quickly to her husband. "Love you." She looked back to Clara. "Anything else?"

"Uh, Bad Wolf?"

"Looked into the heart of the TARDIS, had the whole of the time vortex running through my mind, all to save that daft alien. And it worked. Well, sort of. He regenerated right after. Scared the hell outta me."

"You remember it?" Sandshoes asked, his eyes wide with awe.

"Course I do, now," she said softly, releasing his hand and gently cupping his cheek in her palm. "John explained most of it. But I think that's how we got here. Bad Wolf. As soon as I woke up here in this barn, it all came back. The past, and today." She smiled sadly and took a deep breath before pulling her hand and slapping him across the face. "And _that_ was for bloody Norway. AGAIN."

John chuckled as Rose stepped to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. Together they watched as the Doctor massaged his jaw and mumbled something about "Jackie," under his breath.

"You should be so lucky, mate," John said.

"Now that's out of the way," Rose began, "What am I supposed to call you lot? I can't just say Doctor and have three of you turn 'round."

"They've been going with Granddad, Sandshoes, and Chinny," John smirked, indicating each one in turn.

"You're one to talk, old man," Chinny replied. "You've got some lines on you," he added, pointing to the corner of his eyes.

"Proud of them too," John bit back. "She's not complaining," he said, lifting Rose's hand and kissing her knuckles. "And nor does Adelyn."

"Adelyn?"

Rose smiled. "Adelyn Noble Tyler Smith. Our daughter. Nearly 5 now, and yes, named for Donna." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a phone and handed it to - "Really, I'm not going to call you 'Sandshoes.'"

"Technically, you should be calling him 'Your Majesty,'" the bowtie-clad Doctor smirked.

"Sorry?"

The Doctor in question glared at his older self. "Long story. Might have accidentally married Elizabeth I. But in my defense-"

"He thought she was a Zygon."

John pulled a face. "Urgh. Big red rubbery thing, covered in suckers? _Why_?"

The man in the bowtie grinned and nodded. "Ha! Exact-"

"Enough!" They all turned to face the oldest-looking man in the room. "Bad Wolf, Ms. Tyler, whoever you may be, we have work to do. Do you mind if we save the reminiscing for after?"

Rose lowered her eyes for a moment. "Quite right," she nodded, pale golden flecks appearing as she looked back up at everyone. "Let's put an end to the Time War, shall we?" Taking John's hand in hers and heading back toward the still cloaked TARDIS in which they arrived, she turned once more to the other Doctors. "Clever boys, to your TARDISes."

"But what about you and-" Sandshoes cut off mid-sentence as he noticed the now empty spot where Rose and John had been standing.

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**A/N: So many new follows and favorites! I am flattered... *blushing* Hopefully you like this chapter as well. I have to admit, it was a bit confusion to write. When you have so many versions of the same character on the page, how does one differentiate? I hope that it all made sense in the end though, it was quite a jumble in my head!**

**As always, please hit the reviews and let me know! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 10

Clara hurried after her Doctor, still feeling somewhat lost regarding what was happening. "So, those strange golden eyes aside, what are we doing? What's the plan?"

"The Dalek fleets are surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly," the War Doctor stated, coming up from behind them.

"The Sky Trench is holding, but what if the whole planet... just disappeared?" Sandshoes prompted.

Clara still looked confused. How could a planet just disappear? "Tiny bit of an ask."

He shook his head at her, unable to see how she couldn't understand what they were planning to do. "The Daleks would be firing on each other - they'd destroy themselves in their own crossfire!"

The War Doctor nodded in agreement. "Gallifrey would be gone, but the Daleks would be destroyed, and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they'd annihilated each other."

"But where would Gallifrey be?"

"Frozen!" Sandshoes grinned, somewhat manically, she noted. "Frozen in an instant of time, safe and hidden away."

The War Doctor looked Clara directly in the eyes. "Like a painting."

And that is when everything clicked into place.

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Rose and John disappeared back into the Doctor's TARDIS to find him ready and waiting at the console. He knew that joining them in the barn on Gallifrey would be a mistake, that it would do more harm than good. He didn't remember seeing himself there, so therefore he had to remain hidden inside the cloaked TARDIS. It was imperative that the other Doctors not know - not yet.

"Everything go well out there?" he asked the pair.

John nodded, still processing everything that he had just witnessed. It was strange for him, being surrounded by his former self while also meeting the men that the Doctor would become after he was already gone and locked away on Pete's World. That day on Bad Wolf Bay it never occurred to him that he would one day return; that he - John Smith, the human Doctor - would be there to assist at the end of the Time War. Not to mention that the Bad Wolf would resurface from within his wife, where she had apparently remained dormant for so many years.

"As well as can be expected," Rose smirked. "Bit surprised, but I guess you knew that was coming?"

The Doctor shrugged noncommittally. "I may have had a vague recollection."

John rolled his eyes as he moved to one of the keypads on the console and began typing. The Doctor merely raised an eyebrow in challenge, but it was enough to make him pause. "Right. Yours. Sorry."

"It looks like everything has already begun," the Doctor informed them, swiveling a monitor around so that they could see a message that had just appeared. It simply read: Gallifrey Stands.

Before anyone could say anything about the message though, the Doctor - in the bowtie - appeared on the screen._ "Hello, hello, Gallifrey High Command, this is the Doctor speaking."_

_"Hello! Also the Doctor,"_ the pinstriped one called as he appeared on screen. _"Can you hear me?"_

His image was then replaced by the War Doctor._ "Also the Doctor - standing ready."_

Both the Doctor and John stared at the screen in front of them, hardly able to believe what appeared next. A direct link to the Gallifrey High Command itself - Time Lords that neither had seen for centuries.

_"Dear God, three of them,"_ the General spat with disgust._ "All my worst nightmares at once!"_

_"General,_" Pinstripes called._ "We have a plan."_

The Bowtie appeared again, nodding. _"We should point out, at this moment, it is a fairly terrible plan."_

_"And almost certainly won't work,"_ Pinstripes agreed.

Bowtie shook his head in slight disgust. _"We're flying our three TARDISes into your lower atmosphere."_

_"We're positioned at equidistant intervals round the globe-"_

_"We're just about ready to do it,"_ the War Doctor concluded.

The Doctor, John, and Rose all stared at the monitor, as the General and the rest of the Gallifrey High Command did the same.

_"Ready to do what?"_ the General asked.

_"We're going to freeze Gallifrey."_

_"I'm sorry, what?"_ the General scoffed.

_"Using our TARDISes, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment in time."_

_"You know, like those Stasis Cubes? A single moment in time held in a parallel pocket universe,"_ the War Doctor added.

_"Except we're going to do it to a whole planet,_" Bowtie continued.

_"And all the people on it,"_ concluded Pinstripes.

They all watched as the General stared back in shock. _"What? Even if that were possible, which it isn't, why would you do such a thing?"_

Bowtie sighed._ "Because the alternative is burning-"_

_"And I've seen that-"_

_"And I never want to see it again,"_ Bowtie finished.

_"We'd be lost in another universe... frozen in a single moment. We'd have nothing."_

_"You would have hope,"_ Bowtie informed the council. _"And right now, that is exactly what you don't have."_

_"It's delusional! The calculations alone would take...hundreds of years."_

_"Oh, hundreds and hundreds,"_ Bowtie agreed.

_"But don't worry,"_ Pinstripes smirked._ "I started a very long time ago!"_

"Doctor," Rose quietly said. "What did he - you - mean by-"

Her hand flew to her mouth as she watched another TARDIS appear in the sky above them. A grin spread across John's face, and he quickly whispered in Rose's ear, "That was her, the TARDIS when I first took her…"

_"Calling the War Council of Gallifrey, this is the Doctor."_

John took Rose's face in his hands and kissed her. "We are brilliant! It's not just us," he said, manically gesturing around the TARDIS and to the screen showing the three Doctors they had been with earlier, "But all of him, all of us. All of the regenerations! Look! Look at them, Rose. The TARDIS - from throughout her timestream, the TARDIS and the Doctor, all regenerations, all together."

_"You might say, I've been doing this all my lives!"_ Bowtie grinned.

One by one, the many faces of the Doctor did in fact flicker across the screen. All signing on with words of ready, words of encouragement.

_"Good luck!"_

_"Stand by."_

_"Ready?"_

_"Commencing calculations."_

_"Soon be there."_

_"Just got to lock on to his coordinates."_

_"Across the boundaries that divide one universe from another."_

Wait, what? Rose narrowed her eyes at the monitor before turning to look at the Doctor. "Did he just say-"

But her words died in her throat at the sight of the next man who flickered across the screen. There he was, her Doctor - her first Doctor - with his leather jacket and those big ears, and that Northern accent…

_"And for my next trick...!"_

Rose froze in place. Where was she when this happened? Once she started traveling with him, they were hardly ever separated. It must have been before she met him, had to have been. She was there when he regenerated.

_"I didn't know when I was well off,"_ the General shouted from the screen. _"All 12 of them!"_

John squeezed her hand, surprising her. She hadn't even realized that he had taken it in his. "You were there, you know," he told her. "On the TARDIS. Sleeping - tucked away in your room, safe and sound, not a worry in the universe."

Rose looked up at John, her eyes full of disbelief. "You knew…?"

He shook his head. "Only just remembered." He tapped a finger to his temple and smiled sadly. "Just unlocked."

Their moment was interrupted as the Doctor began frantically running around the console. "Something's not right," he muttered.

"What?" John asked, springing into action. "The calibrations…"

"The signal isn't transferring correctly, but I can fix it. Hang on!" The Doctor flipped another lever that sent them spinning around the room. "Ha!" he shouted, locking on and resuming his position back at the controls of his ship.

_"No, sir,"_ another member of the Council said._ "All 13!"_

John pulled another monitor around so that he and Rose could watch the progress. Together they saw both Pinstripes and Bowtie grinning at the mention of the newest addition. Perhaps they thought it was the two of them?

Once again, the TARDIS jerked, nearly causing Rose to fall. John grabbed her arm to steady her as the Council provide an explanation for what was happening.

_"Sir! The Daleks know that something is happening. They're increasing their fire power."_

The General took a deep breath and nodded. _"Do it, Doctor. Just do it. Do it!"_

Rose watched as all of the Doctors on the screen - and the two on board with her - steeled themselves. _"Okay,"_ Bowtie shouted. _"Lady and Gentleman... We're ready. Geronimo...!"_ And with a bit of a flourish, he flipped a switch on his TARDIS' controls, and the twelve other Doctors followed his lead.

It was a sight, that was certain. Rose watched in awe as the TARDISes all circled the planet of Gallifrey, causing some sort of force-field to form around it. Just as suddenly though, there was an explosion and everything went black.

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**A/N: Gallifrey Falls. There you have it. Hoping it won't be too long before the next update… in the meantime though, reviews? Please and thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 11

Rose's eyes slowly fluttered open and she groaned slightly, stretching her arms and neck which were both incredibly stiff. Looking to her right, she did a double take, suddenly bolting upright when she saw her daughter giggling at her side. How did she get there? She was supposed to be with Clara, safely away from the dangers of Gallifrey.

"Hi, Mummy," Adelyn squeaked.

"Sweetpea, where's Daddy?" Rose asked, lifting a hand to her temple.

"Daddy's with Not-Daddy, not-my-Clara, and Uncle Chinny," the child grinned, jumping up and running toward the door, missing the look of confusion on Rose's face. Just before disappearing into the hall, she turned back. "Your eyes are all sparkly. I like it. Can my eyes be all sparkly too?"

Rose wrinkled her brow, not comfortable with the fact that the Bad Wolf appeared to still be shining through, as it were. "Go find Daddy, okay?"

Once Adelyn left the room, Rose was up quick as can be. She realized that she was, in fact, on the TARDIS. However it was her TARDIS, not the Doctor's, which meant that they had arrived safely back home. But what about Gallifrey?

Just as she was about to head to the door, John appeared with a ridiculous grin on his face and Adelyn at his heels. "Rose, you're not going to believe this!"

"After the day we had, I think I'd believe just about anything, love."

She sighed as John held out his hand to her, wiggling his fingers in invitation. After hoisting Adelyn up onto her hip, Rose slid her free hand into his and allowed him to lead them through the TARDIS, surprised when they stepped out into what appeared to be a museum. Looking to her left, she smiled when saw Clara wave in greeting from her seat on a bench with a tea tray beside her. There were also three TARDISes against the wall, but one was already dematerializing. She had missed her chance to say goodbye to someone…

"He's gone," she whispered, sounding a feeling of disappointment setting in as she set a wriggling Adelyn down on the ground, where she promptly his behind her father's legs. "The old you, the War Doctor, he left?"

"It was time," Bowtie told her, smiling sadly.

John wrapped his arms around Rose from behind and kissed her hair. "Don't worry though. If I remember correctly, he's..." John paused, closing his eyes and smiling slightly. "Yes, he's just regenerated-"

Rose turned her head to look up at John, tears in her eyes. "All alone?"

"Not for long," Pinstripes said, turning from the painting he had been examining. A slow smile spread across his face as he took in the questioning look on hers. "He's about to arrive in London."

"Should be at Henrik's in a few hours, tomorrow at the latest, weeeeeeell, definitely by Thursday," John added.

"Henrik's?" Clara asked. "Going to actually buy clothing for once?"

"Henrik's is where Mummy met Daddy," Adelyn said proudly, stepping forward and calling attention to herself for the first time. Pinstripes' eyes snapped directly to her. "He exploded her work," she added proudly, bursting into giggles just before John swept her up into a hug.

"Right you are, sweetpea," he said, tapping her nose.

Clara, however, turned to her Doctor with a raised eyebrow. "That was you? _You_ blew up the department store?"

"Don't look at me," he snapped, instantly on the defensive. "That was old big ears," he finished, gesturing to the spot that the TARDIS had disappeared from.

Rose shook her head, but couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped her lips. "I quite liked him with those ears, I'll have you know."

Pinstripes smiled sadly, tearing his gaze from the child that just vacated John's arms and looking Rose directly in the eyes. "He quite liked you too."

Pinstripes knew it was risky, that it was almost time for him to leave, but he didn't feel quite ready yet. Just as he was about to take a step toward Rose he felt something tug on his trouser-leg, causing him to look down. "Can I help you, Miss?"

Adelyn simply gestured that she wanted him to pick her up, which he hesitantly did. He wasn't used to children, but she looked determined and so much like her mother that he didn't dare resist. He couldn't help but stare as the little girl scrutinized his face, no doubt trying to figure out where the similarities ended with her father. Her father that should have been him. _Dear God..._

"Not-Daddy," she said, once again all smiles.

"Um, sorry? Did you want-"

"No, silly!" She laughed. "That's your name," she informed him, twisting around to the room and pointing at everyone in turn. "Mummy, Daddy, Not-My-Clara, Uncle Chinny-"

"Oi!"

"And, you: Not-Daddy," she finished explaining, an achingly familiar triumphant gleam in her eye.

He smiled slightly at the girl in his arms, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she grinned up at him, her little tongue peeking out from the corner of her mouth. "So much like my Ro- er, your mum," he whispered.

Rose watched as her daughter charmed the Doctor - the man without whom she never would have existed - releasing a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding in until she saw him smile. It was bittersweet to watch, and she could only imagine what was going through his mind. Turning to find that John was engaged in a conversation with Clara and the Bowtie Doctor, she went to join her daughter.

"Addy, why don't you go get your photo book from the TARDIS?" Rose asked gently. "I bet the Doctor would love to see some pictures of you, Tony, Nana and Papa, yeah?"

Adelyn looked confused for a moment. "He's not the _Doctor_, mummy." She giggled at Rose's quirked eyebrow. "He's Not-Daddy. The Doctor is old-"

Sensing Rose's sudden tension, he realized that Adelyn was probably about to say more than she should, so he interrupted her. "Can't miss a chance to see Jackie and Pete, now can I?" He smiled and stared at Adelyn as she ran off. "She's beautiful, Rose..."

"Thanks," Rose smiled, squeezing his hand. "Smart as a whip, too. Bit too clever for her own good, really. Kinda reminds me of someone else I know."

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**A/N: Please accept my humble apologies on the delay between posts. I realize that this is long overdue... Between getting sucked into Sherlock Series 3 and a horrible bout of writers block, I was at a complete loss. So, I decided to post this short bit with the promise of more to follow. Once I write it. Again, sorry! **

**In the meantime, I hope that you all will forgive me, and enjoy the chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters. I wish that I did, but alas…_

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Chapter 12

John kept a watchful eye on Rose, Adelyn, and the pinstriped Doctor from his seat beside Clara. While he trusted his wife implicitly, he had no such faith in the man standing beside her. After all, he had once been that man; had felt his pain at losing her once before, and could only imagine what it had been like to say what he thought was a final farewell. How would he react if faced with her again after all of that time? Merely thinking along these lines was enough to make John's blood boil. Witnessing the way his child grinned before hugging him and running off to the TARDIS, how his wife so easily entwined her fingers with his giving a (presumed) reassuring squeeze, and the look at the Doctor gave her in response proved to be too much though.

He jumped up, startling the bowtie Doctor from his silent reverie in front of the painting. Before he could take a step toward the pair,the Doctor spoke, somewhat hesitantly. "I saw it, you know. Trenzalore... where we're buried, he and I. We die in battle among millions."

John froze in place, unsure of how to respond. He could tell that it was hard for the Doctor to speak of this, that he - John - was probably the only one that would understand the implications of it all. But at the same time, that lothario of his former self was making eyes at his wife. Momentarily thrown, John said the first thing that sprang to mind. "That's not how it's supposed to be."

"That's how the story ends - nothing we can do about it. Trenzalore is where we're going."

John shook his head. From his brief encounter with the future Doctor and Clara, John had first-hand knowledge that the story wouldn't end there. "Oh, never say nothing, Doctor. I'd think you should know better than that by now," he finished, nodding toward the painting and very intentionally ignoring the pair on the other side of the room.

"I suppose," the Doctor agreed, peering over toward Rose and his former self and shaking his head. "Never makes it any easier though."

"That it does not," John sighed, glaring in the same direction. "It would be nice if he could leave my wife alone though, especially as he's got one of his own."

The Doctor smirked in response. "Ha, I'm not so sure how that 'Virgin Queen' persona will play out in the history books..."

"What? No," John protested, shaking his head. "Not her. That archaeologist, River Song. Where is she, anyway? Thought she'd be here for sure." The Doctor simply stared at John, frozen in place. "Doctor? Are you alright?"

"She's gone," he whispered. "They're all gone." The Doctor looked up, and John could see unshed tears in his eyes.

"Doctor, what-"

"River Song saved my life, his life, _our_ lives, so many times over and I could do nothing to save her… or her parents." He looked at John, imploring the man - a stranger, and yet a part of him - to understand, to forgive. "We lived our lives back-to-front, front-to-back. Always out of sync. You know, you should remember-"

"The diary," John breathed.

"The diary," the Doctor repeated, nodding. "That stupid, bloody diary. 'Spoilers!' God, I hate that word. She knew everything when we met her that day, including the fact that she was going to die because that was the day she met him: the Doctor who had no idea who she was." He paused for a minute, gathering his thoughts. It was obvious even to John that he had held all of this in for so long, that a release was more than necessary. "It was a gift, you know. From me. She had just regenerated and saved my life yet again, and I knew that she needed to have the diary because I had seen it in my past, her future. And so I gave it to her. A small price to pay to the woman who literally sacrificed everything - her past and future - for me."

Now it was John's turn to stare. He wasn't sure what to say to the broken man standing before him, how to respond to the confession that he had made. Of course, there was also something more - something that the Time Lord had simply glossed over. If River Song had in fact regenerated, then that would mean... "That's not possible. If she did what you said, then that would make her a Time-"

"Yes," the Doctor interrupted. "And no. She was conceived on the TARDIS, no doubt in the vortex, but her parents were human. Well, Rory was a nestene duplicate for roughly 2,000 years, but that righted itself in the end. Anyway, they traveled with me for a while, first her mother - Amelia Pond," he finished fondly. "Rory, her husband, joined us after a while. There was a lot of... it was complicated. They're gone now though."

"What happened?"

Once again the Doctor looked at John with tears clouding his ancient eyes. "The Weeping Angels," he answered, his voice barely more than a whisper as he began the story. "It was in New York, the proper one, and then it was in a book that River had written. We were all in the book in 1938. It was a farm, a battery farm for time energy that the Angels constructed for their own use. We all watched as Rory died, an old man in his bed while he himself looked on from Amy's side. River suggested a paradox to poison the well, so Rory did it. He and Amy jumped from the building's roof and he died twice in New York that night.

"It worked, we all landed back where we started, back in 2012. Only there was a tombstone... a tombstone with Rory's name on it and an Angel that had survived the paradox. He was gone in the blink of an eye, and no matter what I said, I couldn't save her." Tears were now streaming down the Doctor's face as he allowed himself to feel the burden of sorrow that he had held inside for so long. "Amy turned to say goodbye and the Angel took her, and it was my fault. They were River's parents and she had to watch me not save them. I should have saved them, kept Amy from turning around. Instead, her name appeared on the tombstone below Rory's."

John was stunned. It certainly was a tragic tale, but it could have ended so differently. "So they found each other?"

The Doctor nodded. "River left shortly thereafter, knowing that she had to write the book. She promised to reach out to Amy - to have her write an afterword." He swallowed, fighting the lump that had appeared in his throat. "As soon she left, I read it. All there, in black and white, Amy's last words to me. That she and Rory were together, and that I shouldn't be alone... She had become my best friend, knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. First face this face saw... I should have saved her - them - if not for River, then just for that."

"You just said that they were together. They lived out their lives together and happy, just in another time. You have proof of it! Right?"

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing!" John countered, suddenly angry at the Doctor and wondering how he could have changed so fundamentally in so little time. "When did you become so immature and selfish to begrudge your companions a happy life with their loved ones? Wasn't that always the plan for them?"

"Yes," he conceded again. "But-"

"No! Remember Susan?"

"Don't bring Susan in-"

"Why not?" John very nearly shouted. "You - we - left her behind when she fell in love with a human! We wanted her to be happy, to have the life that she wanted more than anything. _That_, Doctor, is what you do. You give people the chance to have the lives that will make them happy, even if that means that they will be without you." John blinked, pausing almost as if steeling himself before going for the jugular - not that the Doctor had anything left for him to attack. "_That_ is who you are. And for that... for that I thank you," he finished quietly, going so far as to bow his head.

_Wait, what?_ Once again, the Doctor stared at John, stunned into silence. He considered the words, processing both the surface and underlying meanings of what he had said. Everything he thought that he knew to be true had changed today. But still, he felt there was something else there. What John said wasn't about Susan, or Amy and Rory, or even River. Yes, the Doctor had unburdened himself for the first time in centuries, and that seemed to help ease some of the culpability that he felt. But this was different. This was about how he had impacted the man standing beside him. This was about learning to live with the decisions that he had made, specifically the one he made that day on Bad Wolf Bay. "Rose..."

~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~0~~~~

**A/N: Well, we had heard from Ten & Rose, so now it was time for John to speak up, and hopefully help Eleven find his way.**

**Special thanks for this goes to TheWheelWeaves - without her impressive knowledge of Classic Who - of which I am woefully ignorant - John wouldn't have been able to pull that necessary one-two punch in the form of Susan. That, and she's fun/entertaining to talk to and muse with. And it's her birthday. (hope that wasn't a secret!) Check out her "The Rose is Extra" series if you know what's good for you!**

**/end sales pitch**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


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